***
Husband and wife slept fitfully. Clearly they were anxious to start their journey the following morning. Steve couldn’t get the fantastic notion of travelling with a dragon out of his head while Sarah fretted about not being able to locate the dwarf key maker. Realizing that the other was already awake, both decided to give up trying to fall asleep, opting instead for an early start. However, a stealthy departure wasn’t to be had.
Standing at the entrance to the Great Hall, both stared in disbelief at the pandemonium before them. Cooks were scrambling to prepare food, servants were busy wiping down tables, and pages were hastily polishing numerous pieces of armor. Squires then fastened those pieces to stationary men holding their arms aloft.
“Did we miss something?” Steve inquired, looking about. “Why are so many people awake? This has got to be super early.”
They would have made it down even earlier, but Steve ran into a little trouble trying to don the custom norhstaf holder. It consisted of a metal plate designed to fit into the small of the back with several small, elastic loops embedded into it to allow the weapon to be easily removed and deployed. The problem came, however, from the four straps sticking out of all four corners that required his arms to slip into the harness just so, buckling securely into place below his right arm. Fortunately, once the brains of the outfit figured out where each strap went, she was able to tighten the harness snugly with no possibility of losing the unique weapon.
Outfitted in a pair of khaki trousers and a loose-fitting green doublet, Steve escorted his wife into the heart of the mayhem. Sarah, wearing comfortable travelling clothes consisting of a long-sleeve forest green top and grey leggings (she utterly refused to wear a dress), fingered the medallion around her neck, reassured by its presence. Were all these people awake because of them? The sun hadn’t even come up, and yet it appeared as though the entire castle had been awake for hours.
They rushed through their breakfast, both eager to commence this latest undertaking. The sooner they located this maker of keys, the sooner they could return home.
Not surprisingly, they were met outside by the Kri’yans, including a young boy who was using every trick in his arsenal to persuade his parents to allow him to join the troupe. Mikal’s parents, however, were unmoved by his performance. Silencing his son with a disapproving look, the king greeted the new arrivals.
“I do envy the two of ye the journey ye are about to undertake.”
Steve met the queen’s gaze before he faced the king. “I have to be honest. I’m nervous about all of this. I’m starting to think that maybe we should have a few more members to this party. Like, say, your whole army.”
The king gave Steve a paternal pat on the shoulder. “I spoke with Rhenyon last night and we agreed to send a small contingent of men along. Five were selected to join yer group.”
Both of the Nohrin were nodding appreciatively. Sarah’s eyes were drawn to the queen. Callé was smiling at her.
Did you suggest this?
The queen nodded.
Thank you.
The queen nodded again. It’s the least I could do.
Rhenyon looked up as the clamoring began and grew in intensity. What the blazes was this? People were literally streaming out of the castle, angling straight for them. Was the entire castle now accompanying them on this quest?
“Ye have got to be kidding me,” one of his men muttered under his breath.
“Apparently they wish to see us off,” another soldier murmured.
Muted laughter sounded from all directions. Rhenyon turned to face his men.
“So much for an inconspicuous start.” He sighed heavily. He had not slept well last night, either. Visions of dragons and belching fire kept interrupting his dreams, so he had figured he might as well abandon his futile attempts at getting some rest and opt for yet another check of their gear and supplies.
The captain surveyed the throng of people all heading straight towards them. At the front were the newly famous Nohrin, along with the king and queen. Congratulating himself yet again for being the first person to “discover” the identities of the Nohrin, he nodded his head at the tall foreigner as Steve gave him a two finger salute. He had been quite impressed with how the stranger had handled himself with the ruffians that had attacked them earlier. Personally, he reflected, had someone attacked he and his wife, and he had a jhorun as powerful as Steve’s, there wouldn’t have been any survivors. Yet the resourceful fire thrower had managed to incapacitate three of them. Three!
It had only taken about an hour to crack the three thugs. All of them were more than willing to divulge every detail they could remember, no matter how minute, about their failed plan to kidnap the young prince. However, none of them had been privy to more than just the absolute facts on what they needed to accomplish. None knew who had hired them, only that they had been hired by proxy, and their employer was a powerful man that was feared by everyone in their village. And that was the seaside Ylani village of Arlan.
He surveyed the five men he had chosen, the best of the castle militia. All were loyal to the crown and all were good in a fight. Pheron, his first lieutenant, had an extremely useful jhorun: nocturnal vision. Another lieutenant, Rhein, had a useful jhorun as well: daminalis. More specifically, he could make just about any small creature his familiar for a short period of time. The other three were fairly mediocre: one could persuade pontal to accelerate its growing cycle, a fact that the soldier desperately wanted to keep under wraps; another had the ability to always know which way was north, and the last soldier could actually polish metal to a shine just by touching it once. Needless to say one could not stare directly at him while he was fully dressed for battle in the direct sunlight.
Steve nodded at the five soldiers, all shifting their weight from leg to leg, impatient to leave.
“Mornin’. Where do we meet Kahvel at?”
“Far past the outskirts of the city,” Rhenyon answered. “Steve, Sarah, may I present the other members of our group. This is lieutenant Pheron, lieutenant Rhein, Jalen, Kern, and Darius.” Each soldier nodded as they were introduced.
The Kri’yans approached. The king grasped Steve’s arm and gave a friendly shake. “Good luck to all of ye. Godspeed. May all of ye stay safe.”
The queen took Sarah’s hands. “I will have it ready just before midday. Good luck to ye.”
“Thank you.”
Much to Steve’s embarrassment, everyone started applauding as they moved off through the southern gate, making their way towards the orchards. The echoes of their cheering could still be heard long after the castle was lost from sight.
“So what was that all about with the queen?” Steve asked. “What will be ready by midday?”
“Oh, just a little experiment she thought of that we’re going to try.”
“Well? What is it? Can’t you tell me?”
“I don’t want to say anything until I know for certain it’ll work.”
Steve grinned. “Fine. Be cryptic. I don’t care. It’s not like I’m curious or anything.”
“Good. Thanks, honey.”
“Okay, I’m curious,” Steve confessed. “You’re going to try something with your jhorun, aren’t you?”
Sarah nodded.
“Just tell me!”
The only response he received was a smack on his arm.
The sun was nearing its zenith as the travelers finally left the capital city behind. The northwestern tip of Anakash Forest was visible several leagues away. In the meantime, however, an open expanse of grassy plains was before them, and their tour guide was nowhere in sight.
Rhein turned to the captain. “The dragon was supposed to meet us hours ago. No signs yet. Do we keep going?”
Rhenyon stroked his goatee thoughtfully. “I do not wish to delay any further.” He glanced up, noting that the sun was practically overhead. “We will n
eed to stop shortly for the midday meal. But I would like to at least make it to the forest’s edge before we do.”
“Aye, sir, we keep moving,” Pheron said, overhearing. “The dragon will just have to catch up.”
The deep bass rumbled directly behind them.
“Catch up? To bipeds? Methinks not.”
Steve whirled around, along with Sarah and the rest of the company. Standing directly behind them was the enormous gold dragon, staring down at them. If Steve didn’t know any better, he’d say that the dragon was actually smirking!
“How did you get there without us hearing you?” Sarah asked. “A creature your size would have surely made some type of noise.”
“Not only did I manage to arrive unnoticed,” Kahvel growled, “I did so before ye passed that last farm and have been following yer noisy progress. No doubt that masked my approach.”
“Ye were following us?” Rhenyon asked, incredulous.
“Aye.”
“That’s amazing, Kahvel,” Steve said. “How are you able to move without making a sound?”
“I have my ways, human,” was the cryptic response.
Rhenyon and his men moved on, angling for a point in the distance where the forest appeared to be the thickest. While they conversed amongst themselves, Steve purposely held back, until he was walking next to the dragon. Sarah also slowed her pace to stay even with her husband.
“Is it true,” Steve began, addressing the dragon, “that most dragons would never willingly associate themselves with men?”
The dragon looked down at the tiny biped. “Aye, that is correct, human. Yer kind and mine are a poor mix.”
“So why go on this journey with us then? Couldn’t you have just pointed us in the right direction and not trouble yourself with this? I mean,” he gestured up into the sky, “wouldn’t you rather be flying?”
“If I did not accompany ye, then ye would not survive traversing through the far north,” the dragon answered.
“Isn’t it easier for you to fly instead of walk?”
“Whether I fly or walk, it makes no difference for me. I agreed to escort ye through the domain of my brethren, and escort ye I will.”
“Has anyone ever ridden a dragon?”
Kahvel snorted. “By that, I assume to mean has a human ever ridden on the back of a dragon? No. Not in my lifetime.”
“Do you think that –”
“No, human,” the dragon interrupted, “it will not happen. And do not attempt it.”
“I- I wouldn’t dare,” Steve sputtered. “Well, honestly, I can’t say I haven’t thought about it,” he admitted, “but I would never attempt it without permission.”
“Ye do not have it,” the dragon confirmed.
Sarah sighed, shaking her head. Even with a dragon this close, and warning him not to try, the thought had still infiltrated that one-track mind of his.
Those large golden orbs focused on Sarah. “Ye have an opinion, human female?”
Steeling herself, she turned to the dragon. “I will be honest, Kahvel, you intimidate me. I’m nervous walking this close to a creature that my own husband is fascinated with. To tell the truth, I’m worried he’ll do something foolish.”
“Hon!” Steve protested. “Do something foolish? Give me some credit, will you?”
“Credit? Fine. Answer me this, honestly. You’ve thought about what it’d be like, riding on his back, haven’t you? Even after his warning, right?”
She looked at her husband’s surprised face.
“Told you. Case closed.”
“What human has not thought of riding on a dragon’s back?” Kahvel asked. “Do not chide him for wanting what every human in this kingdom has desired their entire lives.”
Dumbfounded, she again turned to Kahvel. “Are you taking sides here?” She waggled a finger at the huge dragon. “You may be bigger than me and able to turn me into a french fry, but don’t even think about taking his side.”
Kahvel snorted again, sending plumes of smoke high up into the air. The dragon’s massive head turned to the diminutive human walking next to him. “Yer female, yer problem.”
“Thanks a lot,” Steve grumbled.
“My point,” Sarah continued, casting a scolding look at the towering dragon, “is that my husband here will completely ignore his own personal safety if it’s something that really captures his attention or fascination. I just don’t want him going up to a strange dragon and start asking it questions because that’s what he’s used to, with you.”
“I will make a pact with ye, human female,” Kahvel began.
“Her name is Sarah,” Steve supplied helpfully.
“Sarah.” The dragon paused again. “I will make a pact with ye, Sarah.”
Warily, she eyed the massive dragon. “I’m listening.”
“I will keep an eye on yer mate for ye. If any of my brethren approach, I will make certain that he does not approach them until I deem it safe.”
“And what do you require of me?”
The deep voice answered one word. “Conversation.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Converse with me, Sarah, and I will uphold my end of the pact.”
“Why?”
“Ye do not understand. My brethren are solitary,” the dragon explained. “They do not seek the company of others, whereas I, myself, am naturally inquisitive about other cultures.”
“You’re curious about us! You want to learn about our world, don’t you?”
The dragon nodded. “Aye, I do. How often will the chance arise to study a completely foreign culture?”
“Interesting.”
“Excuse me, don’t I have a say in this?”
She turned to her husband and made those distinctive shushing motions that every man was familiar with.
“That is the nature of our pact, Sarah,” the dragon continued. “Do we have an accord?”
She beamed her smile at the dragon, all traces of nervousness vanishing. “We have an accord, Kahvel.”
Satisfied, the dragon moved off in search of some unlucky prey for lunch. Steve caught his wife’s arm, spinning her around.
“Okay, what was that all about? I don’t need a babysitter.”
Not wanting to create a scene there in the glade where everyone had stopped for their midday meal, she decided to invoke her secret weapon: Bambi eyes.
“Honey, this will make me feel better. Isn’t that worth it?”
Steve sighed, rolling his eyes inward. She just had to hit him with that argument, to which he wasn’t allowed, as a married man, to refute. So be it. Now he had a dragon looking out for him. As he thought about it, though, he couldn’t stop the smile spreading from one ear to the other. He had a dragon for a guardian! An actual flesh and blood dragon was watching out for him!
Selecting a patch of grass that was partly shaded from the sun, Sarah sat down, pulling her husband down with her. Steve shrugged off his pack, stretching his back. Seems just like yesterday that he was wearing this thing, on the run from their kidnapper and hoping to make it to R’Tal as soon as possible. How long had they been here now, anyway? Steve was pondering the answer to that when Sarah gently prodded his shoulder.
“Hon, you’re zoning. You okay?”
“Yeah, I was just wondering how long we’ve been here. I mean, what about home? My parents are going to wonder why I haven’t called. Your parents, too. Aren’t you concerned?”
“Can we do anything about it right this second?”
“Well, no.”
“The way I see it,” Sarah continued, “is that we are doing everything we can possibly be doing to get home. So why worry about something we have no control over?”
“What about our jobs?”
“What about them? Can we call in sick from here? Besides, aren’t you the one who wanted to relocate to Coeur d’Alene? Start your own business? As for my bosses,” Sarah said slowly, �
�they will be more concerned with my safety than anything. We’re going to have some explaining to do when we get home, that’s for sure. So until we do, I refuse to worry about it.”
With that, she leaned up against the large shade tree and steadied her breathing. Moments later she closed her eyes, holding out her hands as though offering some type of prayer.
“What are you doing?”
“Quiet. Don’t interrupt.”
Intrigued, Steve watched as Sarah took another breath. Suddenly she was holding a large, heavy burlap pack.
“Oooof! Hon, help!”
Steve rushed forward to snatch the pack out of her hands. Whatever was in it weighed a ton. What was in this thing anyway? Curious, he made to untie the opening flap to peer inside but Sarah smacked his hands away.
“What are you doing? This is my surprise!”
“But, but- what is it? Is this the experiment of yours you were talking about with the queen?”
Smiling, Sarah nodded, rising to her feet. She took the bag from her husband and walked over to where Rhenyon sat, ready to pull out some of his travel rations: dried strips of meat and a small flask of water. He looked up as Sarah approached.
“Good day, Lady Sarah. What have ye got there?”
“Lady Sarah,” she repeated, smiling. “I like the sounds of that. Anyway, this is for you.” She handed the heavy pack over to the puzzled captain.
Rising to his feet, Rhenyon opened the pack and gave an exclamation of surprise.
“Wizards be damned! Where did this come from? I did not see ye or Steve carrying this!”
Rhenyon pushed back the flap and started pulling out tightly wrapped packages of food and three flasks of wine. The rest of his men were instantly on their feet, their bland provisions long forgotten. They each took a package and carefully unwrapped it, revealing two phedras each, still warm, some type of steamed vegetable, and, as Steve unwrapped his, one of those fat purple pears. Cups were produced, and the flasks were passed around, everyone filling their cups.
“You teleported that from the castle, did ye not?” Rhenyon took a big bite of one of his phedras. “I had not taken into consideration yer remarkable jhorun.”
“It’s actually something the queen thought of,” Sarah explained. “I had asked her what I might be able to do that could be considered useful, and she wanted to know how much I could teleport at a time. I told her I truthfully didn’t know, so she said that she’d have a pack of food all ready to go on the bed in our quarters. All I had to do was conjure the bag here. When we’re finished, I’ll send it back, where it will be filled and ready for the next time.”
All the soldiers stopped eating and stared at her with awe, including her husband.
“Ye can keep providing provisions such as these?” one soldier asked, incredulously. He glanced at his captain. “I can get used to that.”
“Would ye prefer if Lady Sarah accompanied us on all of our missions, Jalen?”
“Do ye want me to answer that, sir?”
Laughing, Rhenyon slapped the soldier on the back. “Ye will get soft eating like this all the time. Still, as long as it is readily available.” He took another healthy bite of his phedra. Chewing thoughtfully, he glanced westward, to the edge of the forest.
Following his gaze, Steve looked at the forest’s edge as well. “We should be able to make that in a couple of hours, don’t you think?”
“Aye. Easily.”
Finishing their meal, the soldiers looked uneasily at each other as they held their meticulously clean dishes.
“Uh, sir, what are we to do with these?”
“I know what I am going to do,” Rhenyon answered, passing his dishes to Kern, who grudgingly accepted them.
Sarah came to their rescue, collecting dishes from everyone and returning everything into the pack. Smiling, she walked up to Rhenyon, holding the pack away from her. Interpreting the gesture as a request to take the bag from her, Rhenyon moved to grab the dangling strap when his hand passed through empty air, the pack vanishing right before his eyes.
“Lady Sarah, we are in yer debt. Ye have made six new friends this day. Keep up that type of service, and ye will have those six friends for life.”
Sarah gave the soldiers one of her winning smiles. “It’s the least I can do.”
“Lady Sarah.”
“Many thanks, milady.”
“I thank ye, Lady Sarah.”
By the time she returned to Steve’s side, she was all but glowing.
“You’re going to come in handy,” Steve assured her.
The men finished breaking their small camp and made for the trees in the distance. The terrain remained smooth and level with no one really showing any signs of fatigue. They were making considerable progress towards the edge of Anakash Forest when Steve noticed the absence of the dragon.
“Where’s Kahvel? Isn’t he supposed to be our guide?”
“Since he’s our guide, he’ll know how to find us,” Rhenyon called from the front of the line. “I do not think we need to worry about him. He will catch up when he can.”
“What if he can’t find us?” Steve wanted to know.
“It is easy, human,” the familiar deep voice answered. “Ye follow the noise.”
Steve whirled around. Sure enough, the golden dragon had approached silently yet again. How did he keep doing that? They weren’t making that much noise, were they?
“How long were you there this time, dragon?” Rhenyon wanted to know.
“Perhaps a quarter hour.”
“You certainly know how to move about with stealth, Kahvel,” Sarah remarked. “For someone your size, that’s impressive.”
Kahvel unfolded his wings to momentarily stretch them out, temporarily casting a huge shadow over the amazed soldiers. Folding them back across his back, the enormous dragon gave a small, curt nod of his head.
“If I do not wish to be heard when I move about,” Kahvel explained, “then I do not. How else could I be following the likes of ye without my presence being known?”
“We’re about to enter the forest there,” Steve pointed out. “Anything we need to know?”
Kahvel blinked, staring at the small human. “Need to know, human? Hmmm.” The dragon was silent for a moment as it considered. “Ye will be walking amongst trees. Ye might find a leaf or two strewn about the ground.”
Several soldiers snickered.
“Anything of relevance,” Steve said impatiently.
The dragon chuckled, tendrils of smoke dancing in the air above him.
“Nothing that I am aware of,” the dragon said, still chuckling.
Anakash Forest encompassed the entire northern region of Lentari, stretching from the western ocean all the way to the Great Sea of Koralis. At times the forest was many hundreds of leagues wide. Fortunately, though, the smaller southeastern section of the forest that they were about to traverse was only about twenty-five leagues wide before it jutted up against the base of the Bohani Mountains. The path they were aiming for, which would lead them to the northern lake, Raehón, should be somewhere close to the mountains.
The first thing Steve noticed, as they passed into the forest, was how quiet it was inside. Was it supposed to be this way? Where were the animals? Where were the chirps of the birds? The rustling of insects and such?
“Is it supposed to be this quiet?” Steve asked in a hushed tone.
“This forest is ancient,” Kahvel rumbled, breaking the silence. “These trees were around long before dragons and men walked the earth. They are just as alive as any of us. They have their own means to protect themselves.” Kahvel angled his long neck up to scrutinize the towering tree closest to them. “Respect them.”
All eight humans were staring at the trees with the same thought in mind: just what would happen if one of them did fell a tree? In response to their unspoken thought, a tree directly ahead of them groaned a li
ttle, as if a strong wind were blowing. Several branches swayed in the non-existent breeze.
“No felling any trees,” Rhenyon ordered. “Use fallen branches only as long as we are in this forest. Understood?”
There were choruses of ‘ayes’ as the soldiers hastily agreed.
Progress was slow through the thick trees as the ground started to slope gently upwards. Gathering wood for the fire tonight shouldn’t be difficult, Steve mused, as there were fallen branches and trees everywhere. He was helping Sarah over a huge fallen log when the dragon moved up behind them.
Waiting patiently for the humans to climb over the tiny tree, Kahvel took note of his surroundings. He didn’t particularly care for this forest. Actually, come to think of it, he didn’t care for forests in general. There was too much debris on the ground. Fallen leaves, dried brush, broken limbs and branches were everywhere. One snort and the whole ground would fast become a raging inferno.
The dragon sighed. Instead of enjoying the freedom of gliding through the air he had become a nursemaid to a group of humans. Sure, he had gone on the record as saying walking or flying made no difference. But when one was walking amongst ancient, weathered trees much larger than you, with the tops of the trees many feet above his head, it made him yearn for the open skies. Still, the dragon mused, it would not take much for him to punch an opening in the canopy far above and vacate the area rapidly, if the need arose.
Darkness was starting to settle in when they emerged into a large clearing. A small, fast moving brook ran from west to east. Rhenyon glanced behind, half-expecting to find the dragon gone, but no, Kahvel emerged from the clearing and instinctively looked up. In less than a second his wings had unfolded and he propelled himself into the air. The resulting downdraft knocked everyone present onto the soft grass.
“He could at least have given a warning,” Rhenyon grumbled as he and his men regained their feet.
“He’s probably claustrophobic,” Sarah suggested, “not that he’d ever admit it.”
“We will set up camp here,” Rhenyon ordered. “Jalen. Kern. Recon, two leagues.”
Nodding, both men disappeared back into the forest.
“Where’d they go?”
“I told them to investigate everything within two leagues of our camp,” Rhenyon explained to Sarah as he pulled gear out of his pack. “I do not want any surprises in the middle of the night.”
Rhein had gathered a double armful of firewood and was setting up a large hearth. He pulled his tinder kit from his pack and prepared to get the fire started.
“Whatcha doin’?”
The veteran soldier glanced up. The male half of the Nohrin was peering into his hearth.
“Can I help ye with something, sir?”
“Actually, I was thinking I could help you.”
The soldier stared at him for a moment, and then his eyes travelled down to his right hand clutching his worn piece of flint. He chuckled. “Aye, I believe ye can. Can ye start this for me?”
“Step back,” Steve ordered.
As soon as Rhein took a few cautious steps backward the fire blazed up, crackling merrily.
Rhenyon’s other lieutenant walked up. Steve thought a moment, trying to remember his name.
“It is Pheron, Sir Steve,” the soldier said.
“You’re a mind reader?” Steve wanted to know.
“No, sir, but it is not difficult to tell that ye were doing yer damnedest to remember my name.”
Smiling sheepishly, he grinned at the friendly soldier. “Sorry.”
Waving a hand to dismiss Steve’s apology, Pheron turned to scrutinize the fire. “Ye and yer wife are truly an asset. Yer making our lives easier, that is for certain.”
At that moment, Sarah walked up, carrying the heavy pack again. She smiled brightly at her husband, and then flashed a smile at Pheron.
The tall lieutenant stepped forward to relieve the heavy pack from her. Rhenyon approached then, surveying the fire and the pack. “Jalen was right. I can get used to this.”
As Pheron passed out the provisions, he grunted with surprise. Reaching deep into the bag, he pulled out a sealed envelope with the king’s insignia on it.
“Captain, I think ye should see this.”
Rhenyon was on his feet in a flash. “What? What do ye have there?”
“Looks like a message.” He passed the sealed envelope to the captain.
Breaking the seal, Rhenyon withdrew the folded piece of parchment and read the single word on its surface:
Progress?
Rhenyon smiled. Here was yet another aspect of Lady Sarah’s jhorun he had failed to see the potential of. Communication. They could easily keep in contact by sending messages back and forth within the pack of provisions. Only, he didn’t have…
“I do not have quill or ink. How am I to respond?” Rhenyon started looking through his own pack to see if anything would suffice.
“No need sir,” Rhein said, reaching into a side pocket of the pack. He pulled out several quills, a sheaf of blank parchment, and a small bottle of ink. “Looks like they thought of that already.”
“The Queen,” said both Rhenyon and Pheron, in unison.
Detailing their progress thus far, as well as identifying the location of their camp, Rhenyon composed his response, tucked the parchment back into the envelope, where it sealed itself. Steve blinked a few times. Did he see that right? The envelope actually sealed itself?
Seeing the look on Steve’s face, Rhenyon held up the envelope. “Is there something that ye wanted to add? I can append the message.”
“It sealed itself.”
“Aye, envelopes do that.”
“Not in my world they don’t.”
“They do here. No doubt if I witnessed ye actually having to seal an envelope in yer world, I would have the same expression on my face.”
“Yeah, well…” Steve thought a moment. “Okay, good point.”
Returning the empty pack to their quarters in R’Tal, Sarah and Steve stretched out in their tent, falling asleep instantly.
“He sure does snore, that one,” Pheron noted, nodding in the direction of the Nohrin’s tent. Rhenyon twisted where he was sitting on the ground to look in their direction.
“Aye, that he does. It is a wonder Lady Sarah gets any sleep at all. Still, I am very glad that the both of them are here.”
“And I, too.” Pheron patted his full stomach. “I cannot think of the last time when I was on a mission where I did not have to worry about running out of provisions, or what those provisions would be when we could find some.”
Rhenyon nodded in agreement. Kern and Jalen arrived then, having been relieved by Rhein and the quiet soldier, Darius. Raising an eyebrow, the captain looked at the new arrivals. “Well?”
“Nothing but trees for leagues around. We scouted farther north, on the route we plan on taking tomorrow. Nothing that we cannot handle.”
“And Lady Sarah?” Rhenyon asked. “Remember we travel with a lady.”
“She will be fine,” Kern assured them.
“Nevertheless,” Rhenyon said, “ask Rhein to find a familiar and check the area.”
“Already did, sir. He found a small bird that scouted around. It remained calm the entire time. Nothing troubling.”
“Excellent. Get something to eat.”
“Did Lady Sarah teleport anything from the castle?”
“Aye, she did. It’s over there, next to my pack.”
The two soldiers eagerly took their provisions and retired for the night.
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